Lockheed's second F-35A AU-2 (RAAF serial A35-002) completed a maiden flight on October 1 2014. The RAAF took possession shortly after and early in 2015 the aircraft was flown Luke AFB, Arizona to become part of the training team. The complete acquisition of 72 RAAF F-35As is supposed to be completed between 2017 and 2022. A35-001 and A35-002 made a first time appearance in Australia on March 3, 2017 to take part in the Avalon Air Show before returning to Luke AFB five days later.

Designed to meet the US Military's requirement for a multi-role Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 was first flown on December 15, 2006. This single-seat fighter is one of the most advanced aircraft of our time, said to be four times more effective at air-to-air combat and eight times more effective at air-to-ground combat than any other existing aircraft. It uses a low-maintenance stealth technology, and some versions have an innovative Lift System, which gives the F-35 vertical take-off and landing capabilities. The US plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s at a cost of $323 billion, which makes the F-35 the most expensive defense program in history.